16th Ave. safety scrutinized
The condition of busy 16th Avenue could be studied in future by Langley Township
Langley Township may put aside up to $250,000 in this year's budget to study solutions for the traffic problems on 16th Avenue.
"That would be a major step forward for short and long term planning for 16th Avenue," said Councillor Charlie Fox, who lives near the busy road.
Residents along 16th Avenue have long complained that the local road is far too dangerous.
The road has been the site of some of the most notorious fatal accidents of the past few decades. Drivers routinely flout the 60 km/h speed limits, and it is one of the busiest routes for gravel trucks in South Langley.
The road is a major thoroughfare for both trucks and commuters every morning and evening.
Neighbours have been calling for changes or enforcement to make the road safer, but the design of the street has hampered some efforts.
The Langley RCMP have pointed out that they can't set up radar traps along long stretches of 16th Avenue, because the road is too narrow to ome short safely park a police cruiser.
Fox said the study would look at a number of ideas, and would have to work with Surrey and Abbotsford, both of which have their own stretches of the road.
"There are some short term measures that could be done," said Fox.
For instance, building small pullouts for the police to park their vehicles would allow them to do regular speed enforcement.
Another part of the budget that will impact the road is the intersection of 248th Street and 16th Avenue.
The Township has not made a final decision whether the intersection will be given a full set of signal lights, or if it will be turned into a roundabout.
The roundabout would be more expensive in the short term because land would need to be purchased, Fox said. But it requires less maintenance and costs in the long term.
Plans will be considered in the months to come.
Some of the more recent incients on 16th Avenue include:
. Victor Duarte was killed when his vehicle was hit on Oct. 29, by a driver who was apparently fleeing a nearby RCMP traffic stop, and allegedly ran the stop sign.
. In June, Teresa Townsley wanted answers about why two vehicles, within six months, crashed into her family's yard between 208th and 216th Streets.
. On Jan. 18, 2011, Jim "D.K." Neiss, a 59-year-old bus driver for Langley School District, was slammed off the road by a dump truck just after 5: 30 a.m. He was killed instantly.